Experts and Industry Leaders Discuss how to Use Smart City Technologies and 5G Networks to Improve Quality of Life

[Hong Kong, 17 October 2016] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) today brought together experts and industry leaders from more than 20 universities, research institutes and technology companies around the world at a forum in Hong Kong – to exchange visions of smart cities and explore possible collaborations to drive technological innovation and development that will improve quality of life in the next decade.

Around 500 people from the industry and academia attended the Industry and University Collaboration Forum (IUCF) 2016, with the theme “Smart City & 5G Wireless”, at Hong Kong Science Park. Forum speakers, including scholars from local and overseas universities as well as experts of industry heavyweights such as Airport Authority of Hong Kong, Microsoft Hong Kong, Hong Kong Telecommunications Ltd., and CITIC Telecom International, etc. shared their insights into the key challenges in developing a smart city, the key drivers for cities to adopt 5G solutions and smart technologies, the trend of broadband, and the new paradigm for 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

The forum’s keynote speaker, Prof. Edward Chen Kwan-yiu, CBE, GBS, JP, President of Qianhai Institute for Innovative Research, pointed out the need for better cross-border interflow of resources between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. He urged industry players to embrace the challenges and opportunities offered by the development of Qianhai New District, a pilot district in West Shenzhen for closer cooperation between Hong Kong and Mainland China.

In the welcome remarks, Mr. Wong Ming-yam, BBS, JP, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ASTRI said, “The launch of 5G network will enable smart technologies to be applied to every possible part of our daily lives, such as infrastructure, transportation, waste management, energy and healthcare. Not only will our city’s resources and services be used and managed more efficiently, but also our quality of life will be improved. Hong Kong has world-class Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructures which bring about technological and socio-economic progresses in the economy. We, at ASTRI, are dedicated to innovation and technology pursuit and we have been working proactively with different stakeholders from government, industry and universities. Together, we develop innovative ICT ideas and solutions for a smart city.”

In his opening remarks, Mr Nicholas W. Yang, JP, Secretary for Innovation and Technology said that promoting “smart city” is one of the priority tasks of the Innovation and Technology Bureau. “The Innovation and Technology Bureau will work closely with the research, public and private sectors on the use of innovation and technology to address urban challenges to enhance city management and improve quality of living, sustainability, efficiency and safety of our city. As part of the consultancy study, we will set up a portal to crowd-source innovative ideas from the community, and to share public’s views in building Hong Kong as a true ‘smart city’.” Mr Yang added.

According to the World Competitiveness Yearbook, Hong Kong has ranked first globally in technology infrastructure for five consecutive years. In the World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Report 2016, Hong Kong ranks second in International Internet Bandwidth and third in Asia in the Networked Readiness Index. In the State of LTE 4th Quarter 2015 Report, Hong Kong’s 4G LTE mobile network coverage ranks third in the world.

The HKSAR Government is using Kowloon East as a testbed for smart mobility. ASTRI has been working with the Energising Kowloon East Office in a pilot scheme to develop a geographic information system (GIS) and a smart parking system in Kowloon East to help drivers avoid traffic jam and locate the closest available parking space.

Data security and smart health management are also important in a smart city such as Hong Kong. ASTRI has close collaborations with the Hong Kong Police Force, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the financial industry to launch R&D in cyber security, Fintech and big data analytics. For smart health management, ASTRI has developed multiple easy accessible, non-invasive and cost effective health devices for Pulse Oximetry & Heart Rate Monitoring and Continual Blood Pressure & Arterial Stiffness Measurement. In China, ASTRI has also developed an IoT management system which has been used in major cities for managing street lights and solar power stations.

The IUCF is ASTRI’s annual signature event organised annually to provide a meaningful platform for the industry and academia to discuss about latest technological development and cultivate cross-sector or cross-border collaborations in future R&D projects. In addition to the dynamic and exciting discussions on Smart City and 5G for this year, ASTRI also showcased different technologies via demos in IUCF.

About ASTRI

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research. ASTRI’s core R&D competences in various areas are organised under seven Technology Divisions, namely Communications Technologies, Electronics Components, IC Design (Analog), IC Design (Digital), Opto-electronics, Security and Data Sciences, and Intelligent Software and Systems. Five areas of applications including financial technologies, intelligent manufacturing, next generation network, health technologies, and smart city are identified for major pursuit. For further information about ASTRI, please visit www.astri.org